Jay Cutler admits the pressure was getting to him. The Chicago Bears quarterback was sitting on the sidelines as his backup, Josh McCown, put up big numbers and brought the team several solid wins. As McCown's numbers grew, the questions were rising about what Cutler's future would look like in Chicago. Now that Cutler is back under center, he is thankful some of the talk has calmed down.
Cutler's return started rocky, but ended well. The quarterback tossed an early interception, only to bounce back with three touchdown passes in the 38-31 win over the Cleveland Browns. After getting his first win since injury, Cutler says he feels more "at ease" on the field.
"I mean, I think it would be foolish just to lie and say we weren't aware of [the debates outside the building]," Cutler said, via ESPN.com. "That's unreasonable. Everyone's human in this building. Another reason to acknowledge it is [because] the guys did such a great job of handling it. Another reason you want to acknowledge it is we were able to hear it, deal with it in our own certain way and move on and get the job done on Sunday."
Cutler knew that if the Bears lost to the Browns, the pressure in the coming weeks would be tough. He knew the media would come after him and question whether or not McCown was the better man for the job. He is thankful he could eliminate some of the distraction for the remainder of the season.
"If we did lose that game, having to walk into the media room, and deal with you guys if we did lose -- all those things weigh on you," Cutler said.
Head coach Marc Trestman is thankful as well. The coach had been endorsing Cutler as the starter for the Bears while he was injured and now Trestman does not have to eat his words on the matter.
"There was a lot of noise around the decision that was made," Trestman said. "But it wasn't reflected in his practices or his demeanor in meetings."
Cutler might have calmed the media for the remainder of the Bears' season, things will pick back up again once free agency begins. It is no secret that Cutler is working off the final year of his contract and Chicago must decide if an extension is the right way to go. The Bears have several options. They could use the franchise tag or give Cutler a big long-term deal. They would release Cutler, re-sign McCown and draft a rookie. Cutler may think the pressure is off now, but it is only a matter of time before it returns again.
